This invention relates to method and apparatus for removing a stack of corrugated sheets from a stacker and transporting them to another desired location. It can also be used for moving stacks of corrugated board in other circumstances.
A standard practice by industry for slotting and accumulating partition sheets employs a slotted cutter having a horizontal table and equipped with a recessed shuttle feed mechanism and with rotary slotting heads that are located closely adjacent to the feed mechanism. After blanks have been cut to overall size, they are stacked horizontally in a vertical stack on the feed table, and the shuttle feed slides a single blank out from beneath the stack and carries it into the cutting mechanism, where the blank is cut and slotted. After this operation, the blanks are again stacked, as by means of a curved belt which lifts the trailing edge of the slotted blank as it moves against a vertical wall, thus affording room to insert the next blank beneath the preceding one.
In the prior art, the stacked blanks have had to be moved manually from the stacking area for placement on a pallet or other suitable support, whence they are transported to an assembly machine or to a shipment point where they are shipped as a stack for later assembly.
The present invention relates to a method and machine which may be operated either manually by push button or substantially completely automatically for counting the blanks in each stack and when a predetermined number of blanks has accumulated, lifting them out from the stacker and carrying them to a moving belt or other transporting device so that they can be transported elsewhere.
The present invention eliminates both manual counting and manual removal from the stacker and results in savings in labor, as well as more accurate counting. The invention is capable of handling a wide range of material weights and various dimensions. The device needs no adjustments to change from one size to another, except when there are extreme size variations, but adjustments can be made when needed.